An Invitation......................................................................................51
v

PREFACE

This book of studies and papers is the product of
the Correspondences Committee. In the April, 1990 issue of the "New Church
Teacher" there was an article entitled: "More Excellent Than All Other
Sciences" (NJHD 261). This article evoked a response by a number of New
Church teachers. In early September of 1990 the Academy president gave
an address entitled: "The Science of Correspondences and the Academy Curricula."
There was also a responsiveness to this, and these two presentations led
to the formation of a voluntary committee: the Correspondences Committee.

It is a subject that seems to appeal to both the
imagination and the love of doctrine. Our committee has met eight times
and each gathering has led to new insights and discoveries. There is a
serendipity, synchronicity factor here: a number of New Church scholars
apart from this committee, and members of the committee, have recently
been writing upon or studying this subject.

In August of 1991 our committee held a two day seminar
at the Swedenborg Library in Bryn Athyn. We reviewed something of the doctrine
and philosophy of correspondences, and then discussed how we could apply
this subject effectively in the curriculum.

This booklet is a product of that 1991 summer seminar,
and also of our eight meetings. Its purposes are twofold: to help clarify
the doctrinal philosophy of correspondences, and then to seek effective
applications in the classroom.

This is only a beginning attempt. Real success will
come as New Church teachers believe in the vision, and discover their own
effective applications. The contributors of these articles are listed in
the table of contents. If you have concepts about the philosophy of correspondences,
or new application ideas, please write to us. We would like to keep this
work going! Maybe we can rediscover some of the wonder that moved members
of the Ancient Church, and the awe that touched the hearts of the Most
Ancients. To this we can, hopefully, add the beauty of the detailed correspondences
revealed in the Heavenly Doctrines. Please join our adventure!

Geoffrey S. Childs

vii

INTRODUCTION

CORRESPONDENCES IN THE CURRICULUM: A KEY TO DISTINCTIVENESS

The Lord reveals: "the science of correspondences
is more excellent than all other sciences, since without it the Word is
not understood...; neither is it known what the spiritual is, nor in what
manner spiritual influx takes place into what is natural, with many other
things" (NJHD 261).

"More excellent than all other sciences" (Ibid)!
The Lord is not speaking here of the past, but of the present and the future.
What a challenge this is to New Church education: to the further discovery
of distinctive courses. How can we introduce the science of correspondences
and representations livingly into our curricula? There have been a number
of pioneer efforts in this' direction, and they have had strong impact
on students' hearts and minds. But how can we go further? Aren't we just
in the infancy of such efforts?

One thing is touchingly clear: in order to see truly
the role of correspondences in New Church education, the start must be
from charity. It is the innocence in charity that opens the mind to the
wonders of the Lord's creation, and to the manifold images of Him. Charity's
insights and perceptions are not simplistic. Rather, they are founded upon
doctrine and scientific scholarship, and are both realistic and truly rational.
Charity, which is from the Lord alone, is open to the wonder and beauty
of God's creation. In states of openness we see the sparkle of the ocean,
the beauty of great mountains, the delicacy and rainbow brightness of a
garden, and we know: the Lord is here. He is present in these correspondential
images. And in other states of openness, we can see the Lord's presence
in the correspondences of the human body and its functions, in the scientifics
of mineralogy, in the complexity and efficiency of photosynthesis, in a
variety of natural operations.

In The True Christian Religion it is stated that
"one of the universal knowledges for understanding creation is that there
is a correspondence between things of the spiritual world and. those in
the natural" (TCR 75:5). Complementing this universal thesis is the teaching
that "correspondences have all force, so that what is done on earth according
to correspondences has power in heaven; for correspondences are from the
Divine. Those who are in the good of love and of faith are in correspondences,
and the Divine effects all things with them... All miracles in the Word
were effected through correspondences. The Word is so written that every
minute thing therein corresponds to the things in heaven; hence the Word
has Divine force, and conjoins heaven and earth" (AC 8615:3). It is easy
to record these teachings. But a relaxed reflection upon them reveals their
extraordinary impact.

Jacob's ladder "was set up on the earth, and its
top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending
on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it" (Gen.28:12, 13). This pictures
the great linkages in creation: the Lord, the angels, man and the earth,
and the ladder connecting them. The doctrine of discrete degrees, of influx
and correspondences has this very setting. There is a series of linkages
from firsts to lasts, and then back again to firsts. "Every human being
has been so created that Divine things that are the Lord's may come down
through him even to the lowest things of natural order, and from the lowest
things of natural order may return to Him. Thus the human being was created
to be the means through which

1

the Divine was linked to the natural world, and the natural world linked
to the Divine" (AC 3702). Crucial to this living linkage is the science
of correspondences. One plane is joined to another, from firsts to lasts
and back to firsts, through influx and correspondences. Correspondences
are a key.

This Divinely ordained linkage in creation was perceived
by the Most Ancient people. "The objects which they saw with their eyes
were so to speak images of that (inflowing) life; and although these images
were inanimate, they were nevertheless animate to those people. This is
the kind of perception that celestial angels have of everything in the
world..., and it is also the source of the kind of perception which young
children have" (AC 3702:2). Nature, creation, are alive to little children,
as they were to people of the Golden Age. Can something of this be recaptured?
Can it be recaptured not only as a science, but as a poetry of the heart?

To little children, nature around them is alive. So too are their toys
and playthings. Children have a sense of wonder and awe that we have perhaps
forgotten. It is like Joseph of the Old Testament, whom his brothers thought
to be dead. It is interesting that in moments of high crisis, in near-death
situations, the perception of nature and creation being alive can return.
To soldiers going into battle, facing death, there is an exquisite sensitivity
to creation being alive. Unrecognized but present is an openness to wonderful
correspondences in creation. How can we bring something of this spiritual
reality to our curricular offerings? How do we lead ourselves and our students
to an awareness of the Divine Creator within His creation?

One of our researchers writes: "I think that correspondences
may be the real core of distinctive New Church education, in that they
are the means through which the Lord accommodates His Human to individual
human minds. He does this through the objective reality of the senses which
activates the internal human which perceives (the soul and the human mind).
Perhaps even more important in the long run are the life skills which can
be developed through better understanding of correspondences. They are
really the essence of communication. Therefore the greater our understanding
of the power of symbols, in words and "body" language, the keener will
be our ability to share our humanity with one another" (Mrs. Sanfrid Odhner).

Professor Erland J. Brock adds his own perspective
to this. In the conclusion of his article in the New Philosophy on the
subject of "Correspondences of Photosynthesis" (January-March, 1986), he
writes: "... this attempt to apply the doctrine of correspondences to an
aspect of nature follows other recent efforts along these lines published
in this journal. What purpose does this kind of thinking serve? We suggest
two.

"First, thinking from correspondences may provide
a new frame of thought from which to think about the world and its workings,
thereby providing new hypotheses to serve as the starting points for the
scientific study of nature. Second, because our essential character is
spiritual we should not let our thought be constantly immersed in the material
-- for rampant materialism is destructive of our truly human qualities.
If, therefore, in thinking about nature we can go beyond the mere contemplation
of its wonderful material reality that science reveals, and think as well
of these same images as some aspect of our essential spiritual character,
our thought can be elevated to the contemplation of eternal values and
thereby enriched."
2

A minister and former Academy teacher writes: the
subject of correspondences/goes right to the very heart of the development
of a New Church curriculum ... I believe this is the very path by which
the New Heaven is to descend to earth." And if this seems like too strong
a statement, reflect upon what the Lord has revealed in His Word: "from
external things a person may see internal things, that is, ... from objects
existing in the world he may reflect continually on things that exist in
the next life, for it is for the sake of that life that he lives in the
world. Such was the sight of the Most Ancient Church; such is the sight
of the angels who reside with man; and such is the Lord's sight ... For
not one thing of beauty and delight ever exists in the sky above or earth
beneath that is not in some respect representative of the Lord's kingdom"
(AC 180 6,7 sel).

I suggest the Writings ask us to restore the science
of correspondences as "the science of sciences" (NJHD 261). In a universal
perspective, this is one response to the Lord's call for the New Church:
"Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21:5). Functional use of correspondences
will be "new" in the sense that this science will be applied in a new way.
We are told that "the most ancient people on our earth, who were celestial
people, thought from correspondences themselves, the natural things of
the world before their eyes serving them as means of thinking in this way;
and ... they could be in fellowship with angels and talk with them because
they so thought... But after this there followed a period when people thought,
not from correspondences themselves, but from a knowledge of correspondences,
and there was then also a conjunction of heaven with a person, but less
intimate. This period was called the Silver Age. After this there followed
people who had a knowledge of correspondences but did not think from that
knowledge, because they were in natural good, and not, like those before
them in spiritual good. This was called the Copper Age. After this man
gradually became external, and finally corporeal, and then the knowledge
of correspondences was wholly lost and with it a knowledge of heaven and
of many things pertaining to heaven" (H. 115).

My suggestion is that this overall decline will now
be reversed. From natural good, the Lord will lead the Church into spiritual
good. Then we can think again from a knowledge of correspondences,
and with this we will again be conjoined with heaven. And eventually, as
people of the New Church regenerate, we will gradually learn to think again
from
correspondences,
as did the Most Ancients. But there will be a difference. In His First
Coming, the Lord Jesus Christ glorified His Divine Natural, and in His
Second Coming He revealed the qualities of this Divine Natural. From this
Divine Natural "not only is the internal spiritual person enlightened,
but also the external natural; and unless these two are simultaneously
enlightened, a person is as it were in shadow; but when both are enlightened,
he is, as it were, in the light of day" (TCR 109).

As New Church people regenerate, and as they develop
both the natural sciences and arts, and also their ability to think from
a knowledge of correspondences and then from correspondences themselves,
a quiet miracle will occur. More and more we will see the Lord in His Divine
Human, standing before our eyes. We will see Him standing forth in correspondences
in every realm of His creation, and from this perceive more and more of
His direct presence with us. We will see Him more deeply in His Word. And
also His creation will open up to us more and more, so that "The heavens
declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto
day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge .... From the
end of the heavens is His going forth, and His circuit unto the ends of
them; and nothing is hidden from His heat" (Psalm 19:1-3,6).
3

A doctrine is an ordered set of teachings about a
topic, and there are two types of doctrines. Most doctrines are subject
doctrines, such as the doctrine of the Lord, the doctrine of the Word,
and the doctrine of regeneration. Tool doctrines are doctrines that are
applied
to the subject doctrines with the result that the subject doctrines are
better understood. Each tool doctrine has its own set of teachings about
itself (e.g., the doctrine of correspondences), but its purpose is to throw
light on doctrines that contribute more to personal salvation.

Based on the five sections of Divine Love and
Wisdom, there are five tool doctrines: 1) the doctrine of order; 2)
the doctrine of influx; 3) the doctrine of degrees; 4) the doctrine of
forms (of use); and 5) the doctrine of correspondences. The subject of
the first section of Divine Love and Wisdom is God, but to relate
Him to His creation the doctrine of order is presented. The subject of
the second part is the spiritual sun, and to understand it and its role
in creation the doctrine of influx is presented. The doctrine of degrees
is presented in the third section because the subject there is spiritual
and natural creation both of which exist in degrees. The fourth section
presents the doctrine of forms for this section discusses the process of
creation with attention given to what is created in both realms. The fifth
section is about the greatest achievement in God's creation, human beings,
and in discussing the essential parts of humanity, the will and the understanding,
the section uses the doctrine of correspondences to give a living comparison
between the two mental receptacles and the heart and lungs in the body.

The five tool doctrines relate in this way. All that
proceeds from the Lord is order, and that order proceeds as an influx.
The
influx forms discrete degrees of existence and exists according
to them, with each degree containing forms of use. These forms relate
to each other according to correspondence in which the things of
a higher degree flow into things of a lower degree giving them life, while
the things of the lower degree act as a necessary foundation allowing the
things of the higher degree to live. For example, the spirit flows into
the body, giving it life, while the body acts as a foundation for the spirit
allowing it to live. They both live because of each other. [This is why,
by the way, that the limbus is so important for eternal life, because after
the body dies it acts as the necessary foundation to eternity. This is
also why spirits are in association with people who live in the natural
world, for they act as foundations for those spirits.]

When a person has a working knowledge of these tool
doctrines, and especially if he has an understanding of them, he is better
able to know, understand and appreciate any and all of the subject doctrines.
For example, the more he knows about order, influx, degrees, forms and
correspondence the more he can know about the Lord's creation, salvation,
glorification, etc. Also, he then is able to know more about Divine revelation,
human regeneration, the establishment of conjugial love, and the existence
of the spiritual world and its relation to the natural world.

Finally, the more a person knows about one of the
tool doctrines, the more he can know about the other four because of the
relationship among the five. So if a person wishes to know more about correspondences,
it is useful for him to study the other four tool doctrines as well as
the doctrine of correspondences. And any increased understanding of correspondences
will produce a greater understanding of the other four tool doctrines.
4

THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING CORRESPONDENCES

Prescott A. Rogers

In the disciplined study of religion students are
taught that the three most universal and important religious questions
are these: What is God (or the Source of creation)? What is creation? And
what is the human race? Every religious issue has to do with one or more
of these. When a person understands the answers to these questions as they
are answered by a religion and he understands how the questions relate
to each other, then he truly understands that religion.

One of the many advantages of the Heavenly Doctrines
is their ability to answer these questions with clarity and fullness. And
essential to this ability is its explanation of how correspondences work.
The more a person understands this, the more he knows about the Lord, about
spiritual and natural creation, about human beings, and about their relationships.
There is a vital connection between the Lord and His creation, between
the Lord and humans, between creation and humans, for all three are in
human form which is the form of love and wisdom expressed in uses. And
correspondence is this vital connection.

If we take the teaching in Divine Love and Wisdom
13
seriously -- where it says that all we know and that where we spend eternity
is determined by our concept of God -- then we realize the importance of
developing a correct concept of Him. And this concept is possible because
of His correspondence with His creation and the crown of creation, human
beings. Also, without an understanding of the Lord based on a knowledge
of correspondences we cannot truly know Him and so we cannot truly worship
Him and develop a close personal relationship with Him. Less crucial is
our understanding of mankind, and yet without a proper understanding we
cannot really develop a genuine charity which is the love of the neighbor
and its exercise, we cannot develop a fully healthy self-esteem, and we
cannot understand the importance of taking care of the body and the mind
at the same time. Least important for our spiritual welfare is our understanding
of creation, and yet it too is important, for we need to know what heaven
and hell are to make informed decisions, and it is useful to see creation
as the theater of the Lord's dramatic performances and to see that this
creation deserves our study and our care. Because of the correspondential
interrelationship among these three subjects, as we understand one, we
understand the others.

In addition to these three basic religious issues
are two other very important topics. The Writings indicate that there are
five principal doctrines for the New Church (in this order): the Lord,
the Word, regeneration, heaven and marriage. The doctrine of the Lord belongs
to the first religious question, the doctrine of heaven belongs to the
second religious question, and the doctrine of regeneration belongs to
the third religious question. But we also need to appreciate the Word and
marriage. For us to form an enlightened understanding and an enlivened
awareness of the Word and of marriage, we need to understand the correspondences
that form them. When we do this we appreciate the Word and marriage more
and so they become a more active part of our lives. This is true for any
subject: first we learn about it, then we understand it, then we appreciate
its value, and then we apply it to our lives. A knowledge of correspondences
is an essential part of the understanding of any significant subject.
5

ENTERING INTO THE MYSTERIES

Stephen D. Cole

As a child I visited the Academy Museum on the fourth
floor of the old library. One saw some curiosities there, but one also
got the impression that the things had been sitting there untouched for
a thousands years and that no one ever visited the place. The few lights
scattered a dim illumination over the peeling paint and the crumbling plaster.
The Indian arrowheads seemed to have migrated in amongst the Egyptian mummies
and Gothic capitals. On the whole one came away fairly depressed.

Although this is something of a caricature, in some
ways it pictures my sense of the New Church as I grew up in Bryn Athyn
and attended the Church schools. I realized that the Church had some curiosities
to offer. But the general sense was of something old, dusty and neglected.
The picture is overdrawn, of course, partly to make a point, partly because
of the difficulty in recapturing the childhood feelings. But there must
be some truth to it because I do recall clearly that it was with a definite
sense of discovery that I began to find as I emerged from high school into
college that the New Church is new and exciting.

Something of such an evolution is inevitable; just
as children so often go through the phase of finding their parents old-fashioned
and boring. But New Church education needs to be directed at conveying
the excitement as soon and as clearly as is possible.

I discovered the excitement by returning to the museum,
at least this was part of the story. The museum, had not changed, but I
had. In Prescott Roger's Ancient History course I wrote a paper on the
mystery of the origin of language, trying to sift through the Babelian
confusion of tongues. In researching the paper I explored a dusty old book
in the library about Egyptian hieroglyphics. Just as my interest was getting
piqued, Aubrey Odhner gave an address to a General Faculty meeting entitled
"The Search for the Ancient Word through Myth and Correspondence." I snuck
into the meeting and I was hooked on the mysteries of correspondences.
Within a few months I volunteered to do student work in the museum. On
returning to the museum, I found it to be the doorway to many mysteries.

The museum itself has now changed. It has moved to
more impressive housing. The collections have grown and been properly organized.
But above all it is alive and constantly being used. The excitement embodied
in the museum is inspiring more people all the time. But the mystery is
still there. How could it help but be, in the halls of a castle?

Now I have spoken a lot about mystery, but not much about correspondences.
So be it. I am going to continue to speak of mystery. What is the place
of mystery in the New Church? Have not the mysteries of faith, at least,
come to an end? The grand invitation over the doorway of the New Church
is that we may now enter into the mysteries -- but not that they
are simply now gone. The power of the mysteries is that they keep going
on, no matter how far we enter into them. At the heart of mystery dwells
the Lord. He reaches out to us through the mysteries, but we never pierce
through to the center ourselves. What we need is to find and keep the drive
to continue entering into the mysteries.
6

Here is a Latin word: unio. Who knows what
it means? Trick question. It can mean any one of three things. The meaning
"union" is fairly obvious. It can also mean "onion." Shipley's Dictionary
of word origins says: "The idea is that the many, many layers make but
one sphere... The onion has been used as a symbol, in that, far as you
peel, you never reach the core." In a sense, then, the onion could also
have been thought of as symbolizing union with the Lord, which, no matter
how many layers we penetrate, can always be deeper still. Unio also
means a single pearl of large size. The pearl of great price, layer upon
layer like the onion, is the acknowledgment of the Lord alone. We go into
the Holy City New Jerusalem by entering in through the layers of mystery
that make the gates of pearl.

This theme of layers of covering is echoed in the
Apocalypse Explained treatment of the holiness of the Word: "The spiritual
and celestial things of the Word are comparatively like the holy things
of the tabernacle ... which could not be called holy and a holy place until
they were covered round about with curtains and veils" (AE 1088:2).

Take away the coverings and you lose the holiness.
Dispense with the layers and the mystery disappears, and with it the excitement
and the interest. What we need to cultivate is the sense of wonder and
mystery that will inspire a lifetime quest to peel back the layers.

I have this problem. So often when I wish to address
something distinctive about the New Church, I think of C. S. Lewis, who
explicitly denies any influence from Swedenborg. Well, anyway, in his autobiography
he speaks of experiencing as a child brief glimpses of something he calls
"joy." As he grew in boyhood, however, these experiences vanished, at least
until he chanced one day upon Rackham's illustrations of Siegfried and
the Twilight of the Gods, and the sensation returned in a rush. From that
moment forward his life was changed and he began the quest for what lay
beyond and behind this feeling, ultimately resulting in his conversion
to Christianity. The joy of which he speaks seems to be some kind of sense
of the numinous.

In The Power of Myth Bill Moyer asks Joseph
Campbell, "How would you advise somebody to tap that spring of eternal
life, that bliss that is right there?" Campbell responds: "We are having
experiences all the time which may on occasion render some sense of this,
a
little
intuition of where your bliss is. Grab it. No one can tell you what it
is going to be. You have to learn to recognize your own depth."

As Campbell says, the life quest which he describes
as following your bliss, or what Lewis calls the pursuit of joy, can take
many and various forms. Different people feel the attraction of mystery
in different things. Often it takes the form of seeking something that
has been lost:

Through the centuries many have been intrigued by the idea of the lost
paradise of Atlantis. And note that Plato's account of Atlantis depicted
it in concentric rings like a pearl.)

The fascination of ancient Egypt has persisted through the ages. What secrets
were hidden in the pyramids?

The riddle of the standing stones at Stonehenge and elsewhere has caught
up the minds of others. Who was it who made the giants dance, and what
was their purpose?

The legend of the Holy Grail has captured many an imagination (without
it ever being entirely clear what the grail was.)

7

The Alchemists searched for generations for the Philosopher's Stone, the
key to the meaning of life, as well as of transmutations.

All of these varied symbols stand, in a way, for the
Ancient Word, the idea that there was a wisdom of old, a science of sciences
that held the secret of life.

The quest, of course, does not have to be after that
which was lost. If we broaden our vision we can see that there is the same
kind of inspired striving in mathematical creativity, artistic aspiration,
or scientific discovery. The search is actually for a glimpse of the spiritual,
which infuses life into the dead clay of this earth. It is just that the
Ancients had a grasp of this that has not yet been surpassed.

The number one priority in teaching correspondence
is: Don't kill the mystery. Our sensual scientific age is always anxious
to murder, to dissect. As it is said in Faust, "Who wants to know and describe
the living things seeks first to drive out the spirit, then holds the parts
in his hand, but alas, the spiritual bond is now lacking." Look at the
illustrations in so many modern children's books, including most textbooks.
The mystery is gone and with it the life.

I have recently been reading to my children again
The
Garden Behind the Moon. Howard Pyle turns many a mysterious phrase
therein. In response to a question about the meaning of the story, he replied:
" ... .there is indeed an intended inner meaning to [the story], but to
explain it would require a long dissertation, at the end of which that
certain indefinable mystery with which I intended to surround the story
would be altogether dissipated." Poetry explained is no longer poetry.

There was great excitement at the beginning of the
nineteenth century, when the Egyptian hieroglyphics were deciphered. But
from the standpoint of the imaginative the translation was a great disappointment.
Instead of yielding the mysteries of the ages, the texts were prosaic histories
and legal documents. So it is that there are those of us who still believe
that the hieroglyphics have scarcely even begun to yield their secrets.
I foresee the study of language in general, and Hebrew and Hieroglyphics
in specific, to be among the fruitful fields for the pursuit of the science
of correspondences.

When the Lord said, "Behold I am making all things
new," He spoke in the eternal present. There can be nothing static about
the New Church. My impression of the Church as I was growing up was of
an establishment dedicated to the status quo, an establishment trying to
convey a fixed and already complete body of knowledge. We must show the
students in our charge that what is known is but a small drop in the vast
ocean of what is yet to be known, that to learn is to take part in a process
that is continually new. The newness of the New Church and its doctrines
is a living, on-going process, not some event frozen in history. Let us
teach correspondences not as a dead set of equivalences, but as an organic,
living, exciting mystery.
8

CORRESPONDENCE AND LANGUAGE

Walter E. Orthwein

The doctrine of correspondences is generally thought
of as a kind of "code" or "key" whereby the hidden meaning of the Sacred
Scriptures may be opened. Thus the doctrine has to do with the meaning
of words. But when we consider the actual meaning of words -- not this
word or that word, but the nature of language itself -- then we see that
this doctrine has much broader implications.

Creation consists of two elements, the spiritual
and the natural. These two come together in the human mind, which is sensible
of both realms. We are able to see the presence of the spiritual in the
natural, and how the natural relates to the spiritual. We are able to perceive
the correspondence of the two worlds.

Human language, I believe, is based upon this correspondence.
The essence of language is not just to give names to natural things, or
serve as the means of communicating natural ideas, but is designed to give
a natural form to abstract or spiritual things so they can be grasped by
the natural mind.

In creating the natural world, the Lord has already
given natural forms to spiritual things, but when we consider the purpose
of creation (a heaven from the human race), it would seem to follow that
creation is not complete without that highest of created forms, the human
mind, which is able to behold and understand and be affected by -- and
in itself to order! -- what the Lord has created.

The creation of the natural world, which is basic
to the existence of human minds, also laid the foundation for human language.
Language is not something invented by the mind of man, but is in fact a
property inherent in mind itself. In creating the human mind, the Lord
also created language, which may be seen as an extension of the very essence
of what a "mind" is: namely, a vessel capable of responding to, and relating,
the spiritual and natural planes of creation.

Human beings are not just one more of the innumerable
creatures that exist on this planet, but are the means by which the natural
world is conjoined with the spiritual and with the Creator. It is in the
immortal minds of men that spiritual things have a permanent natural foundation.
Nor is human language simply a natural development; it is a Divine gift,
the essential use of which is this conjunction.

Language is the means of expression from one mind
to another, but prior to that, it seems to me, it is the means whereby
the spiritual degree obtains fixed, permanent, and perceptible form in
any individual mind. This is why writing something down, or discussing
it with someone, helps clarify our ideas. Putting things into words, even
if just in our own minds and unexpressed, is essential to thought.

Without this -- without language -- how could the
purpose of creation be fulfilled? The spiritual world depends upon the
natural for fixity and permanence, but this is not an end in itself, it
is all for the sake of human beings. The natural provides the continuing
basis for the
9

spiritual in us. Abstract spiritual truths, to be grasped, must be abstracted
from something, namely from the ultimate natural forms of this world. Language
is the means whereby this process of abstraction is accomplished.

Natural forms are given a name ("tree," "stone,"
"fish," "gold," "water," "mountain," cloud", "spear," "war," "cloak," "bread,"
"wine," etc.), but then the name has a meaning beyond the object named
(e.g., water stands for truth). And this meaning is not arbitrary; in actual
fact, the thing named already has that abstract or spiritual significance.
The "spiritual meaning" is its most real meaning. Water is truth appearing
on the natural plane of reality. Bread may be made from wheat flour and
water and other natural ingredients, but what bread is made of is not the
same as what bread is. Bread is a manifestation on the natural plane
of creation of the Lord's Divine love. (This is speaking of real correspondences,
rather than mere representations based upon similarities or symbols formed
by men.)

The "science of correspondences" is the means for
understanding all this. Like any science, it provides an order and method
for examining and understanding, and thus better using, some aspect of
creation; only in this case we are dealing with a very deep and all-encompassing
view of creation.

The essence of creation is the embodiment of spiritual
things, derived from the Divine Itself, in corresponding natural forms
composed of material substance. (And we would note that the natural substances
of which material forms are made are themselves merely formations of Divine
and thence spiritual substance.)

Because of its essential origin and use, language
is creative. It is the means whereby something new is created -- not out
of nothing, but by giving a natural form to spiritual substance, which
is the prior soul of a thing. At the deepest level, this substance is Divine
love formed by Divine Truth. As it says in the Gospel of John, creation
begins with the Word. "In the beginning was the Word... All things were
made by Him" (John 1:1, 3).

The doctrine of correspondence, then, is not just
a "key" which opens a particular kind of language (i.e., Scriptural), but
is inherent in creation itself and thus in language itself.

I was interested to note in the dictionary that the
Greek and Latin root words for "parable" mean "to compare" and also "speech"
generally. We can see this connection in the English word "palaver," meaning
a kind of speech or communication; it is derived from Latin "parabola,"
meaning "parable" or "speech." All speech is parabolic; it has to be interpreted.
The sounds themselves have to be interpreted, and the words must be interpreted
as to their meaning or significance.

The word "parable" itself comes from two Greek roots,
"para" (beside, or alongside of) and "ballein" (to throw); the Latin root
derived from these Greek words is "parabola." Interestingly, the dictionary
refers you to "devil" for more information. The Latin "diabolus" (from
Greek "diabolos") again comes from "ballein" (to throw), but here prefixed
by "dia" (across). The meaning is to slander. The devil represents the
obstruction or perversion of truth. While angels are messengers who bring
truth to men, devils seek to intercept the truth by destroying the correspondence
upon which it is based.
10

Truth is not something we can see as it is in itself;
we see it parabolically, or correspondentially. Correspondence or parabolic
language, therefore, involves casting one thing beside another and seeing
them in relation to each other, while to cast an obstruction that blocks
this perception is the work of the devil.

We would note here the two meanings of "correspond":
first "to suit, agree, fit, or match," and second, "to have communication."
The truth communicated by angels is for the sake of bringing human beings
into agreement with that order in which the natural world was created --
namely, correspondence with heaven.

New Church education is dedicated not just to transmitting
knowledges or facts, but to opening the minds of the students to see the
Truth. The doctrine of correspondences is therefore essential to this use.
It applies, first of all, to the Sacred Scriptures, which must be understood
correspondentially. But in all fields, the doctrine of correspondence is
vital to gaining a perception of the spiritual reality which constitutes
the substance and soul of all natural things, including material objects
and the affairs of men.

Truth is living. The doctrine of correspondence,
therefore, is not just for an intellectual exercise, or a word game, but
a matter of life. As the Lord said, the words He spoke are words of life.
And the devil does not just block understanding, but destroys life.

The relationship expressed by the term "correspondence"
is an organic, living relationship. The very word means "to respond together."
It thus has the idea of a living mutual response; a functional relationship,
not something inert. Our bodies and souls correspond when they respond
together, in harmony, to the life flowing in from the Lord.

In conclusion, then, I think that in order to appreciate
the power of correspondences, we need to consider the power of language.
If we think of words as dead, arbitrary, humanly formed symbols, then the
doctrine of correspondences will seem a lifeless and unimportant matter.
But when we consider the Divine source of human language, its relationship
to creation itself, and realize the power contained in words, and especially
in the
Word, then we see that the doctrine of correspondence has
tremendous potential. The ancients in their fall abused this science to
perform magic. Will the New Church in its ascent rediscover the power of
correspondences and use it for good?
11

MIRACLES AS MODELS FOR AN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Erik E. Sandstrom

When we talk about an educational system, or philosophy,
we include the spiritual world flowing into the natural world. I thought
therefore
of Miracles as a model for this, since a miracle is just
that: the spiritual world present within the natural world. The primary
instruction comes from Invitation 60:

"Miracles have not been done from causes sought out
from nature ... Miracles related in the Word were done by means of influx
from that prior world into this posterior one, ... by means of bringing
such things as are in the spiritual world, into corresponding things in
the natural world, so that the things which come forth actually in the
spiritual world are actually brought into such things in the natural world
as correspond."

This is how the "manna descended upon the camp of
the sons of Israel every morning, from things flowing down from the bread
of heaven, and brought into the receptacles of nature." (Ibid.)

That was how heaven the "bread and fishes (inflowed)
into the baskets of the apostles, and also the wine from heaven into the
water in the waterpots at the wedding." Also, the "fig-tree withered through
there being no influx for it, nourishing it from the root." (Ibid.)

Miracles took place through correspondences. We read,
"Correspondences have all power ... what is done on earth according to
correspondence, avails in heaven, because they are from the Divine. All
miracles recorded in the Word were done by means of correspondences." (AC
8615.3)

That power was ushered in at the time the sons of
Israel were rescued from Egypt, which had fallen into idolatry and magic.
Moses contended against the magicians of Pharaoh, and this was a contest
of Divine Miracles against Infernal Magic. Following that time, miracles
actually happened. We read: "At that time, representations came forth into
actual realization." (AC 1675)

Miracles actually happened in response to spiritual
necessities, or the guidance of Providence. It was an era in which the
spiritual world was actually present in the natural, through miracles.
Thus," ... representations of Divine omnipotence had force, as had all
representations at that time, when commanded." (AC 7673.2) this refers
to Joshua conquering Ai, just by pointing his spear at it.

Miracles Today

The Lord came on earth, and apart from miracles,
the Christian Church could not have been established. He was the Creator
come into His Creation, and effected miracles which blasted a path for
the parables and teachings to take root.

The New Church is NOT to be established by miracles,
but by the intromission of Swedenborg into the spiritual world, which surpasses
all miracles. (Inv. 43, 52, 55) However,
12

there are miracles happening today. We read: "All contingencies, most
general, general, singular and most singular, are miracles, but are invisible
and continual." (SD 2434)

These are the miracles that can happen in the classroom.
Originally miracles happened because there was no other way for the spiritual
to be revealed, than in such a way that people on earth who witnessed them,
could by their means be instructed in the truths necessary for their salvation.
But now, after the time of open miracles has passed, the lines of force
are still there for the mental equivalent of ALL miracles to happen on
a continual basis.

For example, we read re Samson's strength: "If anyone's
thought from the will were inspired by the Lord's Divine truth, man would
have the strength of Samson." (AC 10182)

Samson's strength was entirely in the correspondence
of his hair, not because he 'pumped iron'! The same could happen today,
if the Lord chose to flow in the same way as happened "at that time" in
the past.

Now, the Lord on earth was the fulfillment of the
prophecy of Samson's life. Samson's strength on earth became the Lord's
power and authority: "They heard Him gladly, for He spoke with authority."
The Literal Sense of the Word, represented by Samson and his hair, the
Lord quoted liberally while on earth, demonstrating the same strength in
"slaying the Philistines," or faith alone as Samson had.

So when we read the quote so often referred to by
President Childs of "man's sight being led forth abroad," and "such was
the Lord's sight" (AC 1806, 1807), we can suppose that "such was the Lord's
strength" as well.

I am suggesting the same thing can happen in the
classroom: There can be as powerful a combination of doctrine and classroom
material as in miracles. And this is where Joseph comes in.

Joseph was also a Nazarite, like Samson. We read:
"The blessings of your father ...hall be on the head of Joseph, and on
the crown of the head of the Nazarite of his brethren." (AC 6437, from
Genesis 49.26) This word "Nazarite" is found neither in the KJV nor in
the NKJV, but is there in the Hebrew.

When Joseph hid his silver cup in Benjamin's grain
sack, it represented the process whereby truth is inserted into scientifics,
or how doctrine organizes knowledges. There is a method of conjunction,
which is actually explained in this story. We read: "the method by which
conjunction is effected is by means of the insertion of truths into scientifics."
(AC 6052) "From the knowledges of the memory which are in agreement and
harmonious, there is effected a kind of extraction and sublimination, whence
arises an interior sense of things." (AC 5872)

I contend that this provides us with a METHODOLOGY,
long sought after, of applying doctrine to scientific fields, or to classroom
curricula.

I conclude with a summary taken from my current Faculty
Development Study. I wanted to know what others had thought on this matter,
and whether there was a common element. I
13

was impressed by the cohesiveness of the vision, as put forth by many
from Benade up to some members present in this room. I have incorporated
what has been said, into five steps of applying doctrine to curricula,
incorporating also insertion, extraction, and sublimation, as
specified above.

1. ]oy of teaching: At times
through the year, the Teacher should pray to the Lord for guidance in teaching
the course in the light of His Word.
2. Sense of Values: Discover which doctrines
apply to your subject field.
3. Reorientation, Frameivork: Practice
dealing with the subject field, while thinking of the doctrine.
4. Insertion, Verification: Practice
stating your material in
new wording, not tried before. Reorient
material to receive the doctrine, or verify it, or neutralize material
which does not receive, or which rejects doctrine.
5. Discernible Goals: Plan insertion
(lectures,
presentations, texts, etc.) extraction (research, papers, returns)
and sublimination
(conclusions, evaluation, mastery of subject)
in your course, or recognize them as they may already exist.

I believe these five steps represent what teachers have
done, or tried to do, or what can be tried in new ways. I believe they
give us a chance to give the subject material for each course a "miracle-treatment,"
so that it will be distinctively New Church both in content and manner
of presentation, - and perhaps in effect!
14

SOME THOUGHTS ON CORRESPONDENCES

Mark Carlson

The following is a quick effort to flesh out the
remarks that I made during the Correspondence Seminar last summer (1991).
This is not intended to be a study, just thoughts. I have not included
specific references to the Writings in the interest of time in getting
this onto paper.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God and the Word was God (John 1:1). These words from the gospel of John
have great significance in regard to the doctrine of the Word in general
and the idea of correspondences in particular. What John 1:1 says to me
is that the Word is linguistically a foolproof method of communication
from the Lord.

The Writings have much to say about the miraculous
communication from the Lord that is possible by means of the Word. The
correspondential style of the Word is said to be the mechanism by means
of which this communication is possible. Is there perhaps some relationship
between this style of communication and the theories of Noam Chomsky and
other linguistic scholars who have come to be called transformational grammarians?
These scholars have pointed out that human beings use language as a means
of creating a psychological model of the so-called "real" world within
their own heads. We represent the world outside of us within ourselves,
and in so doing create a map of reality which only approximates reality
itself. They point out that in making this inner psychological map of reality
human beings use three major processes - generalization, deletion, and
distortion.

Generalization is the process by which a specific
experience comes to represent the entire category of which it is a member.
For example, a dog bites a child, and through generalization all dogs become
dangerous to the child, perhaps creating a life-long fear.

Deletion is the process by which selected
portions of the world are excluded from the inner representation. For instance,
a man's mother-in-law becomes like an enemy to him because he creates an
inner map of her character based on certain of her intrusive words or actions,
while he deletes other words and actions which express caring and concern.
Or, a student fails an important test and begins to believe that she is
unable to learn, deleting all of the tests she has passed with high grades.

Distortion is the process by which the relationships
formed among parts of the model are represented differently from the relationships
which they are supposed to represent. A common example of distortion is
the representation of a process by an event. A theological example of such
distortion is the belief that salvation is the result of an event in time,
rather than a process through time. On a more personal level, a common
distortion people often fall into is turning the decision-making process
into an event rather than an ongoing process. The result can be a great
fear of decision making.

The correspondential and representative nature of
the Lord's Word appears to be such that it has the ability to cut through
our generalizations, deletions and distortions to present the real Lord
of the universe to our inner representation system. When we read or hear
the Word, we are not just hearing words which describe the Lord and spiritual
realities because
the very15

language used is the Lord. And this holds true for the nature
of the Word regardless of the language within which it may be translated.
I would posit that this is true because of what transformational grammarians
call the "deep structure" of the language of the written Word. I would
further suggest that the deep structure of the Word is linguistically flawless,
in both substance and form. The inner message is supremely clear and the
deep structure which carries that message is the Divinely-ordered cosmic
symbolism of the universe. Furthermore, I suspect that this cosmic symbolism,
or correspondence, is in fact the very root of the deep structure of all
human language, and is what causes language to be comprehensible.

The Divinely-ordered images from the three kingdoms
of nature, animal, vegetable, and mineral, are perfectly suited to human
comprehension: when Divinely ordered they serve as a perfect re-presentation
of the Lord to the human mind. This seems to fit with the teaching that
a sincere person who reads or hears the Word in its literal sense, actually
understands the internal sense within his internal man even if his external
man is unaware of this knowledge! The Word is indeed a marvelous creation,
a continuing extension of His Divine Humanity into our conscious and unconscious
awareness. "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did
not comprehend it."

* * * *

In thinking about how we might improve our use of and teaching about
the doctrine of correspondences in New Church education, four categories
of investigation come to mind:

1) Teaching doctrine from correspondence: In this category
I would place all of the wonderful and sometimes mysterious quirks of science
and mathematics which are to my mind correspondential illustrations and
confirmations of doctrine. Efforts such as David Simons' Unity in the
Universe would seem to come under this category. With the advance of
science in the twentieth century, more advanced concepts of science such
as quantum mechanics, relativity theory, and molecular biology offer many
illustrations and confirmations of doctrine. Quantum mechanics offers a
number of what I consider to be highly correspondential examples of doctrine.
One such example from quantum mechanics deserves a great deal of thought
from New Church teachers. It is now a well-established scientific fact
that matter and consciousness are in some way mysteriously interwoven (suggested
by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and the observation that the states
of matter are affected by observation). It seems to me that an ongoing
effort to find these illustrations, explaining them in layman's terms with
suggestions for appropriate grade levels, might be a useful resource for
New Church teachers.

2) Teaching about correspondence: In this category I would place
the direct teaching of the correspondential meaning of the objects of nature
and the images of the Word. A scope and sequence chart of which correspondences
fit with major themes for each grade level and a developmental approach
which moves from kindergarten through high school seems to be called for.
Such a sequence might begin with a non-memory-oriented, creative integration
of basic correspondential images in kindergarten through second grade.
It would seem appropriate for the sequence to continue with a memory-based
approach in the third through eighth grade in which certain basic correspondences
were learned each year. The sequence might continue through high school
with a process approach. Here the correspon-
16

dences of the Word should be studied in context to show how meanings
change according to context and may even take on opposite meanings. The
correspondential meaning of human actions, particularly in regard to courtship
and sexuality should be considered.

3) Using correspondences: Since all human activity involves correspondence,
obviously we use correspondence in education all of the time. But what
I am suggesting here is a more conscious and deliberate attempt to use
the power of correspondence in reaching young minds with the beauty of
the Lord's truth. For example, story telling which consciously employs
correspondential symbolism to teach life lessons, or point out moral issues,
or even simply to entertain seems an appropriate avenue for teachers to
pursue. This was the delight of delights in the Ancient Church, and we
are informed that the Ancient Church and the New Church are similar in
internals. Perhaps we could do much more with story telling and story writing
in teaching correspondence.

I have found the students love to talk about their dreams. As we know,
dreams are often subtle correspondential messages from our good associate
spirits, pointing out areas of our life that need attention, and even suggesting
solutions to everyday problems. More of a focus on dream interpretation
and even dream work with students would appear to me to be a valid avenue
for future New Church educators to pursue.

Guided meditations often use correspondences to help us see our life
from a new perspective. I believe we could develop unique New Church meditations
to augment certain aspects of the teaching of religion that could be very
powerful for students. The process evokes an internal response that I believe
is similar to what happens in dreams, inviting subtle clues from our good
associate spirits from which we may gain important information about ourselves.

The correspondences of the body are very much a part of human communication.
In fact some studies indicate that 80% of human communication is non-verbal,
that is, through such subtle cues as tone of voice, body position, muscle
tone, skin color, eye movement and the like. As the Writings make very
clear, all of these are correspondences. Greater focus on the correspondence
of body language and human communication could well improve the effectiveness
of New Church teachers, while some direct attention to these matters in
course work might go a long way to improving marriages and family life
in the church.

4) Diagnosing the situation: As we know from the Writings, the
inner quality of an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization,
tends to make itself manifest through correspondence if we have eyes to
see it. The Writings mention that when the Catholic church removed the
Word from the laity, at some time later they also removed the wine from
the Holy Supper for the laity. Such correspondential images of our inner
qualities have a way of making themselves manifest, and I believe we are
invited to use this correspondential information, however tentatively,
as a source for legitimate inquiry and discussion. For example, one could
engage a class in a discussion of what the behavior of the class might
mean to an outsider knowledgeable in correspondence who was simply observing
at a distance.

17

THE USE OF CORRESPONDENCE IN EDUCATION

David R. Simons

Why do teachers need to understand the place, purpose
and power of correspondence in education?

Essentially, because correspondence is the primary
tool used by the Lord in His teaching. It is the way He accommodated His
leading and His instruction for reception. It is the way He approaches
mankind in His Word and in His creation.

We define correspondence as the living relationship
between internal and external things, between the mind and the body, between
the spiritual sense of the Word and the letter, between content as affections
and thoughts as words; and between spiritual things and natural things.

The Lord led and taught in two ways, both of which
involve correspondence. He taught by miracles and by parables. He led by
miraculous things primarily for the will and taught by parables for the
understanding. "And Jesus healed all that were sick" (Matt. 8:16). "All
these things Jesus spoke in parables; and without a parable He did not
speak to them" (Matt. 13:34).

It seems to me that a study of correspondence needs
to start with analyzing how the Lord used correspondence in miracles and
in parables to accommodate His life for reception. If we begin here, the
more complex teachings of the Writings will fall more readily into place.

Correspondence is the way the Lord led and taught
from externals to internals, from natural things to spiritual things, from
earth to heaven. Correspondence is the glue -- the bonding material --
which holds interior and exterior together to unify things that are discretely
different. End, cause and effect are discretely different in vertical order,
but make a one in horizontal or simultaneous order: i.e., what we love,
what we think, and what we do are all different, yet are unified in simultaneous
order of actions, and that which unifies them is correspondence. Our deeds
correspond to the thoughts and loves from which they come. In miracles
what the Lord did for men's bodies demonstrated correspondentially what
He wills to do for their minds and spirits. When the Lord told a parable
about things on earth He was talking correspondentially about things in
heaven.

Miracles

Why did the Lord use them?

Miracles caused surprise and wonder; they caught
people's attention. The Lord did external miracles -- changed water to
wine, walked on water, and raised men from death -- so He could lead men
to the internal miracles of reformation and regeneration. His external
miracles corresponded to the internal miracles He willed to do for men
-- to turn natural truth into spiritual, to show His Wisdom and Order operating
in all nature and to demonstrate the purpose of His coming: to raise man
from spiritual death.

Why miracles? "(Because) it was entirely unknown
... that the Lord ... had come into the world ... It would never be received
by anyone without miracles ..., but now, when doctrine is
18

received, miracles no longer occur" (SD minor 4724). Miracles are for
the will in that they catch people's attention, cause them to sit up and
take notice. "They were astonished beyond measure" (Mark 10:26). Thunderstruck!

The Word and creation are both living miracles which
derive their power from correspondence. The Word as a miracle contains
internal life and light correspondentially. "The words that I speak to
you are spirit and they are life" (John 6:63). "The Word is living and
gives life because in it, in the supreme sense, the Lord is treated of,
and in the inmost sense, His kingdom ... so that it is life itself that
is in the Word, and that inflows into the minds of those who read the Word
with reverence" (AC 3424). This life is held in the Word correspondentially.
A key to the internal sense of the Word is the knowledge of correspondence
revealed in the Writings.

In all creation we see miracles, but because we see
them repeated over and over again, we don't think of them as miraculous.
"All things which are viewed in nature ... take place from the influx of
the spiritual world into the natural; and in themselves are marvels; which
on account of their accustomed aspect and perennial recurrence, are not
accounted as miracles" (De Miraculis 60).

Teachers need to discover miracles for use in the
classroom, things which cause wonder, surprise, and respect. "What will
we be doing today?" "You'll be surprised!" "I wonder what comes next?"
"You'll hardly believe it!" The unexpected, a surprise, catches children's
attention, opens their eyes in wonder, and prepares them to learn.

In my science class I boiled the water out of a five
gallon can, put a lid on it, placed it on a shelf in the front of the room,
and then went on with the class. As it gradually cooled, miracles began
to happen in front of our eyes -- it crumbled and crackled, pressed in
by atmospheric pressure. You can be sure the children never forgot that
lesson.

Teachers need to restore the sense of mystery, wonder,
and magic to the commonplace happenings in nature. Nature is awe-inspiring
in itself and this needs to be brought out and dramatized. The very rocks
-- minerals of the earth -- perpetually cry out to proclaim the Lord their
King to those who "have ears to hear" (Luke 19). Let the facts speak for
themselves; theirs is a correspondential message.

External miracles in the Word and in the world are
the way the Lord accommodates or steps down His omnipotence for reception.
Correspondence is the mechanism which makes this possible. Miracles are
the Lord doing on earth what He does all the time by means of correspondences
in heaven. The Word is itself a miracle and has holiness and power from
the internal things it holds within.

The Word is accommodated to the simplest and most
external states of reception. It feeds and delights the natural mind, as
John the Baptist was fed locusts and wild honey. "Locusts" correspond to
general truths contained in the letter and "wild honey" to the delights
felt in the letter.

In education when internal spiritual things are in
the minds of teachers and are expressed in the external things taught,
especially when they are truly correspondential, there is power
19

and effectiveness present. From a knowledge of correspondence and accommodation
we can understand something of how this power is derived and work to use
it more fully.

Parables

The Lord led and taught by miracles and parables.
By miracles He accommodated His omnipotence; by parables His omniscience.
Accommodation is the teachers art; it is using the Lord's way to make Him
visible to our students. Correspondence is the means to make this accommodation
work.

"Divine Truth is not received by anyone unless it
has been accommodated to his apprehension, consequently unless it appears
in a natural form and shape; for at first human minds apprehend none but
earthly and worldly things and not at all spiritual and heavenly things.
Wherefore if spiritual and heavenly things were set forth openly, they
would be rejected as if they were nothing..." (AC 8783).

By accommodation in parables the Lord provides for
our "as-of-self" freedom which is a vital ingredient in education. Parables
are the Lord challenging us to use our minds to discover internal things
in His Word and in His created world. Parables, by their inner meaning,
invite the free response of all those who hear.

By correspondence higher things are represented in
lower, things of heaven in worldly things. Our minds are elevated when
we freely work to understand parables by making a "rational leap" from
externals to internals. It is rational in that correspondence is a consistent
cause-and-effect connection, and to work to penetrate a parable is a rational
process. Correspondence is the connecting link between cause and effect
-- between discrete degrees. When we work to transpose natural things to
spiritual, the miracle of changing water to wine can take place in our
minds.

Learning to see the Word and the world as a parable
is what New Church education is all about. Thinking from correspondence
-- parallel thought (parable) -- is seeing internals from externals, about
which the Arcana teaches: "The eye itself is nothing else than the sight
of the spirit itself 'led forth abroad,' the specific purpose of this being
that from external things a person may see internal things that exist in
the next life, for it is for the sake of (this internal) life that he lives
in the world. Such was the sight of the Most Ancient Church, such is the
sight of angels who reside with man, and such was the Lord's sight" (AC
1806).

"People whose concern is for Divine ideas never dwell
on the objects of external sight, but from and in those objects they are
continually seeing internal things ... To such persons the literal sense
(the parables of the Word) exist solely as the means which enable them
to think about (or see) spiritual things" (AC 1807:4). Such internal sight
can be open to those who understand correspondence.
20

HISTORICAL FRAMEWORK

Aubrey C. Odhner

Now that we have distilled some of our best understanding
of the concept of Correspondences as used in the Writings, it might be
useful to place our study in something of a historical framework, with
its relation to
the hermetic tradition, archetypes and mythopoeic
thinking.

I THE HERMETIC TRADITION

The study of the Science of Correspondences can be
said to be part of what is known as the Hermetic Tradition, a stream of
occult studies and beliefs having their source at the beginning of recorded
history in ancient Egypt. Belonging to the tradition are a myriad of cults,
practices and idealist philosophies such as astrology, mythology, magic,
Platonism, Gnosticism, caba-lism, Freemasonry, alchemy, and even homeopathy
and transcendentalism. The term often implies secrecy or exclusiveness,
but more pertinent to our interests, the inclusion of the Science of Correspondences
in the Tradition, is the primary assumption of the Tradition that there
is a realm of the spirit, a spiritual as well as a natural reality.

The Tradition gets its name from the Egyptian god
Thoth whom the Greeks equated with their Hermes, adding the appellation
"Thrice Great", or Hermes Trismagistos. Because of Thoth's depiction in
the Egyptian Judgment scenes as the Ibis headed Scribe recording the
destiny of the weighing-in of the spirit's heart against the feather
of
truth,
and
because of the tradition that Thoth invented the earliest
writing,
the
Hieroglyphics, the Rev. C. Th. Odhner concluded that Thoth represented
the ancients' concept of the Ancient Word. One can easily agree with this
interpretation when one examines the attributes of the Greek Hermes and
his Roman equivalent, Mercury, with the birds' wings
on caps and
sandals and on the serpentine caduceus: the messenger between gods/God
and man, certainly the Word.

If we accept Odhner's concept of meaning and use
his methodology we can unlock rapidly a long chain of symbols stretching
from ancient to modern times. We can trace the concept of Thoth through
Hermes/Mercury to Caesar's statement that Norse Odin "is our Mercury";
Odin with wings on his cap,
birds on his shoulders, "thought
and
memory",
who
circle the world daily to gather truths;
Odin who surrendered his
eye
to
the well for wisdom,
who invented the original sacred
language, the Runes. Note that the bird symbol was carried into the
Middle Ages to represent the Holy Spirit, God with us, the communication
of God with man!

It is not remarkable that the bird or feather symbol
would be used through the ages to represent the communication between heaven
and earth. But more interesting is the fact that men gave the very name
of that bird-god who embodies its meaning to the Tradition itself.
For Thoth, Hermes Trimagistos appears to represent the ancient embodiment
of the concept of correspondences, the Ancient Word. In one sense we may
say that the Science of Correspondences is not so much in the Hermetic
Tradition, but that it is the Hermetic Tradition, because it is the means
of communication between the spiritual and natural world.

The Hermetic Tradition linked spiritual or "other
worldly" ideas from the time of the Ancient Church and Thoth(!) to Pythagoras;
through Greek and Roman philosophers, some
21

early Christian Church Fathers, to modern times. Suppressed periodically
by the pragmatic Church, it occasionally burst forth, such as in the flood
of mystical Grail legends with their eastern and Celtic roots which surfaced
in the 12th Century.

It was especially in the pre-Renaissance world of
Paracelsus and Aquinas when the Hermetic tradition really took hold again
as a vigorous current sweeping along with it the occult studies of Astrology
and Alchemy. The republication of the Corpus Hermeticum and its subsequent
sixteen editions, and the work of Giordino Bruno contributed to the revival
of NeoPlatonism in the Age of Enlightenment where the Newtons and the Keplers,
more Astrologers than Astronomers, and of course Swedenborg, became absorbed
in these ancient "sciences".

The Romantic and Transcendental philosophers and
PreRaphaelite artists perpetuated the idea of the upper or inner level
of reality through the 19th Century, where the old religions had failed.
They must have been powerfully, if indirectly, reinforced and reinvigorated
by the New Revelation. The Jungian Psychologists, Symbolists, Mythologists,
and Linguistic Structuralists appear to be serving that end today, keeping
alive the rational idea of the reality of the spirit and the importance
of meaning, until the truths of the New Church can spread openly.

II ARCHETYPES

Beyond all other concepts, C. G. Jung's description
of the operation of the archetype, as he defines it, is most helpful to
me in understanding something of the nature of correspondences and how
they operate through the human mind. Jung's archetype is not to be confused
with the ancient and medieval use of the term archetype. That was used
as synonymous with "prototype" or an original model in the ideal world,
after which other things are patterned; a paradigm. But since the Jungian
development it has taken on a new meaning which I believe comes closer
to a living idea of the operation of correspondences.

The ancient philosophers who first coined the word
archetype, were probably still thinking in terms of remnant truth from
the Ancient Church, i.e., they were thinking from the conviction that there
was a spiritual as well as a natural plane of reality. The archetype or
prototype was probably thought of as existing in the upper or spiritual
level, and as causal,
rather than merely before, as it was
later used.

Jung says one must, for the sake of accuracy, distinguish
between the "archetype" and "archetypal ideas." The archetype as such is
a hypothetical and irrepresentable model, something like the "pattern of
behavior" in biology. The archetype resides, Jung says, as "an irrepresentable
psychoid factor" in what he calls "the Collective Unconscious" (which he
incidentally equates with Swedenborg's "Spiritual World" and Agrippa's
"World Soul"). It is unknowable, "numinous," like an affection, and can
only be sensed by its affects. It is not a "thing," but rather a moving
spiritual force which may ultimate itself in many ideas and forms. Jung
says it does not refer to anything that is or has been conscious, but is
an unconscious core of meaning. He says "an archetypal content expresses
itself, first and foremost, in metaphors. If such a content should speak
of the sun and identify with it the lion, the king, the hoard of gold guarded
by the dragon, or the power that makes for the life and health of man,
it is neither the one thing nor the other, but the unknown third thing
that finds more or less adequate expression
22

in all these similes, yet to the perpetual vexation of the intellect
-- remains unknown and not to be fitted into a formula." p. 76. Essays
on a Science of Mythology.

Jung on Synchronicity and Correspondences. In
discussing his theory of synchronicity, Jung dismisses what he refers
to as the old theory of correspondences, probably because it assumes
causality in its presumed parallel relationship of the natural and spiritual
and cannot be demonstrated. "No reciprocal causal connection can be shown
to obtain between parallel events, which is just what gives them their
chance character. The only recognizable and demonstrable link between them
is a common meaning or equivalence. The old theory of correspondences
was
based on the experience of such connections -- a theory that reached its
culminating point and also its provisional end in Leibnitz' idea of pre-established
harmony, and was then replaced by causality. Synchronicity
is a
modern differentiation of the obsolete concept of correspondence,
sympathy,
and harmony. It is based not on philosophical assumptions but on empirical
experience and experimentation." p. 115, Jung's
Synchronicity.

III MYTHOPOEIC THOUGHT AND MEANING:

The common link in the age old "tradition" of Correspondences,
then, is spirit or meaning. What is the meaning of "meaning?" The
Mythologists, Structuralists and Semanticists have a lot to say about meaning.
Casssirer speaks of transposing the Kantian principle that all knowledge
involves, at the instant of its reception, a synthesizing activity of the
mind -- into the key of myth. Wheelwright says "Myth here becomes a synonym
of the mythopoeic mode of consciousness."

Suzanne Langer agrees with this view of myth as a
primary type of human expression, parallel to, but distinct from language
or "prelanguage." As Levi Strauss puts it, "Myth cannot be treated as language,
it is language." p. 154ff, The Semantic Approach to Myth. In this
same article, Wheelwright refers to the second of two uses of language,
the first he calls "steno" language, "the language of plain sense and exact
denotation, language which designates clearly as a means of efficient and
assured communication." And the second which he calls "expressive" language,
"such as found in varying degrees in poetry, religion, myth and the more
heightened moments of prose and daily conversation, and in the most sacred
areas, in those realms of story making that have enough transcendental
reference to be properly classified as myth, to express with maximum fullness."
(This is very interesting in connection with the translating of the Word.)

Levi Strauss, in his Structural Study of Myth,
says:
"Myth is the part of language where the formula reaches its lowest truth-value
(read 'deepest, most fundamental.') From that point of view it should be
put in the whole gamut of linguistic expressions at the end opposite to
that of poetry, in spite of all the claims which have been made to prove
the contrary. Poetry is a kind of speech which cannot be translated except
at the cost of serious distortions; whereas the mythical value of the myth
remains preserved, even through the worst translations. Whatever our ignorance
of the language and culture of the people where it originated, a myth is
still felt as a myth by any reader throughout the world. Its substance
does not lie in its style, its original music or its syntax, but in the
story which it tells. It is language functioning on an especially high
level where meaning succeeds practically at 'taking off' from the linguistic
ground on which it keeps rolling." C. S. Lewis says the same thing: "There
is, then, a particular kind of story which
23

has a value in itself -- a value independent of its embodiment in any
literary work" -- and again, "if some perfected art of mime or silent film
or serial pictures could make it clear with no words at all, it would still
affect us in the same way." p. 41, C. S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism.
Levi
Strauss also says "What gives the myth an operative value is that the specific
pattern described is everlasting, it explains the present and the past
as well as the future."

The Law of Correspondences. The universal
applicability and representation of myth and meaning is expressed so simply
and yet profoundly in the haunting legendary engraving on Arthur's tomb
"hie iacet arturus, rex quondam rexque futurus." Arthur, a prime example
of the "typical" Hero, was and is and is to be. The typical hero is historical
as well as mythological and universal. (See Lord Raglan's book, The
Hero and Cirlot's Dictionary of Symbols, p. xiv) In connection
with this question of the relationship between the historical and the symbolic,
Rene Guenon has observed: "There is indeed over-eager acceptance of the
belief that to allow a symbolic meaning must imply the rejection of the
literal or historical meaning; such a view shows an ignorance of the
law of correspondences. This law is the foundation of all symbolism
and by virtue of it everything proceeding essentially from a metaphysical
principle, which is the source of its realism, translates and expresses
this principle in its own way and according to its own level of existence,
so that all things are related and joined together in total, universal
harmony which is, in its many guises, a reflection, as it were, of its
own fundamental unity. One result of this is the range of meaning contained
in every symbol: any one thing may, indeed, be regarded as an illustration
not only of metaphysical principles but also of higher levels of reality."

Begrunden. There is an interesting concept
discussed in Kerenyi's
Prolegomena
in
Essays on a Science of
Mythology. He uses a German word because he feels there is no English
equivalent. "Begrunden" means, literally, "grounding", "establishing,"
"founding" and at the same time abstract "reason." Is this equivalent to
the Writings' "ultimating?" -- as we do when we act out and reinforce our
beliefs and feelings in ceremonies, in art, in our institutions and in
our "body English;" when we act symbolically without becoming conscious
of it and yet are confirming in deed what we feel but do not necessarily
understand. Consider Begrunden in our body English, how we get a clue about
our values by what we do in our art, in our customs of dress and in the
very form of our organizations.

The vertical, hierarchical organization chart makes
a statement opposite to the "round table" of Arthur, Jefferson and the
round table solution of the dispute about the seating at the peace conference
at the end of the Korean War. The round table was a statement, in each
case, about their beliefs in the consultative, the collegial, mutual respect,
and the non-hierarchical.

Eating Together. Consider the Rites and rituals
of praying, and the Holy Supper; the traditions of Friday Supper, eating
together, sharing the good of our food. Animals share their food with their
young, but only humans share their food with other adults. Studies show
that the only thing national Merit Scholars have in common is that they
ate dinner with their parents and families!

Think of all that is involved in the Lord's urging
us to gather together and partake of the Holy Supper in the same way that
He said, "Come, Let us reason together." It is important to keep grounding
those symbols. How many important ideals have we discarded based on the
ash heap of efficiency or expediency. What reinforcing experiences have
we deprived our
24

children of when we abandon our sense of correspondences? Perhaps the
careful social planning of Friday Supper is as important as a carefully
prepared Doctrinal Class, the one would ultimate good and the other ultimates
truth. Both should be guided by Doctrine. We need the conscious reinforcing
or "grounding" of our good and best affections and traditions from within,
as well as the passing on of truths from without.

Clustering. Philip Wheelwright suggests that
with the mythopoeic mode of consciousness there is a strong tendency of
the different experiential elements to blend and fuse in a non-logical
way. He also uses the term coined by Max Muller, "diaphoric," "the expression
of a complex idea not by analysis, not by direct statement, but by the
sudden perception of an objective relation." He assumes that the most forceful
archetypes are likely to arise out of a diaphoric situation where at least
two of the diaphorically related elements represent human functions or
interests of a deep-going and pertinently associated sort. (The Semantic
Approach to Myth). Other Mythologists refer to this as "clustering."
(There are many examples of various combinations of sword and stone,
serpent and foot.
See the Stith-Thompson Motif Index. Consider
the "Vulnerable Spot" and the "Forbidden Fruit" motifs in myths and legends.
I dare say most of these can be seen in the first eleven chapters of Genesis
and could be traced back to that original Treasure House of Correspondences,
the Ancient Word.

Perception of Meaning. At this end of the
long stream of the Hermetic Tradition, Psychologists and Linguists have
thrown light on the mental processes by means of which we recognize and
affirm truth. Jung has described the activity of the Archetype in the Collective
Unconscious as organizing external data into meaningful patterns. Gestalt
provides a theory involving closure where there is a clustering of related
factors and meaning is perceived. Rank, Raglan and Campbell develop the
organizing theme of the Hero myth. Countless mythologists and psychologists
show how significant symbols seem to "ground" universally recognized truths
into meaningful life experiences.

In the revealed doctrine of the Science of Correspondences
we have at our disposal the long searched for key which can unlock, open
up and throw full sunlight into the mental treasure house which lies at
this end of the torch-lit river barge procession.

Fresh air from the Second Coming has caused some
torches to flair up and inspire secular scholars and our own young people
to take renewed interest in occult studies, perhaps because it revives
the heretofore dormant human hope of the reality of the spirit. We must
meet the candle-lit processions and relay their torches with rationally
developed presentations of that Science as we understand it.

We need to share with them, speak their language
and learn from them what they understand about the processes of thinking
and mythologizing. We need to enlarge our own awareness of the importance
of correspondences in the internal process leading to the perception
of
truth. We need to understand better how the Lord operates on the soul and
mind which are immediate correspondential representations of His Image,
as the Organizer of data and the Spirit of Meaning, the One who is Meaning
Itself. "He causes truth to shine" (TCR 349).
25

DEFINITIONS

Walter E. Orthwein

The doctrine of "correspondence" reveals the relationship
between spiritual and natural things. It is an organic, living relationship,
in which the spiritual flows into the natural and forms it to serve a use.
The relationship is not just one of analogy, but of cause and effect. In
the natural world, spiritual forces (causes) proceeding from the Divine
"terminate" or come to rest in corresponding effects. This doctrine, therefore,
makes spiritual things real and concrete, so that we can see and understand
them, and it also reveals the deeper spiritual significance of all natural
things, and as well of the Word of God, which is written in correspondences.
This body of teaching is thus very important in New Church education.

Prescott A. Rogers

Correspondence is a term that literally means 'the
condition' (-ence) of reacting (respond) to one another (co-). Therefore,
for there to be correspondence, there must be at least two things.

Definition: Correspondence is the condition in which
what is higher (or interior) flows into what is lower (or exterior) causing
it to live [for all life is from the Lord and it flows down or out], while
the lower (or exterior) acts as a foundation (or container) for what is
higher (or interior), allowing it to live. An example is the spirit and
the body which indeed correspond. The spirit flows into the body causing
it to live, while the body acts as a foundation allowing the spirit to
live. They need each other for life.

Closely associated with correspondence, and too often
confused with it, are signification and representation. I believe that
a better understanding of the definition of correspondence comes from a
proper contrast among these three terms. Correspondence is the master term,
and the others draw their meaning from it.

Representation literally means 'the process' (-tion)
of being present in a 'new way' (re-). In correspondence, that which is
lower (or exterior) represents that which is higher (or interior). Relatively
speaking, that which is higher or interior presents what is good or true
while what is lower or exterior represents its essence which is goodness
and truth.)

Signification literally means 'the process' (-tion)
of 'making' (-fica-) 'symbols' (sign-). This occurs when a verbal symbol
(i.e., a word) or a pictorial symbol (i.e., a picture) is used in place
of the object that represents. This is why in every passage of the Writings
in which the spiritual sense of a biblical passage is being expounded,
the term used is 'signify' or 'signification.' The words of the passage
are symbols, and so they signify. [Note: this is why we should not translate
significate
as
'to mean,' since this term is too broad when the usage is quite narrow.]

Two illustrations might be useful, one from nature
and one from the Old Testament. In correspondence, what corresponds are
the qualities, the characteristics, and the functions of the items. For
example, it is not a rock that corresponds to truth, but rather its qualities,
its
26

characteristics, and its functions. The hardness and so the endurance
of a rock corresponds to the solid nature and the eternity of truth. [I
rely on Platonic thought here, and say that what corresponds are 'rockness'
and truth.] The rock itself as an object represents truth. And the term
'rock' and every picture of a rock then signify truth. Further with regard
to David, we know that he himself did not correspond to the Lord, but rather
represented Him. This is so because David was evil, and so his qualities
prevented a correspondence. However, his function or his office of kingship
did
correspond
to the Lord as to His Divine truth ruling. On the other hand, David as
a person did represent the Lord as to His Divine truth ruling, and
the term 'David' still signifies the Lord in the same way.

W. Cairns Henderson

Correspondence. As this term covers a fundamental
doctrine which is found only in the Writings, its meaning should be clearly
understood. The basic idea can be expressed very simply. Correspondence
is both a causal and a functional relation between the Divine and the spiritual
or between a spiritual and a natural thing. When a natural object, activity
or phenomenon is the effect of which a spiritual thing is the cause, and
when the two perform analogous uses to the body and the mind, respectively,
they are said to be in correspondence; and the natural thing is said to
correspond to the spiritual, or to be a correspondent. Correspondence is
therefore also the law or mode of influx. In another usage, the term means
agreement that makes influx possible, as where it is said that man's external
mind must be reduced to correspondence with the internal mind. (See AC
3225; AE 1080; HH 89,107.)

As the terms, "representative" and "significative,"
are related, it may be useful to note them here and observe the distinctions
involved. When a natural thing re-presents its cause on another plane and
in another form, it is said to be a representative. Note, however, that
a representative is, by definition, not the thing that is represented.
In general, things
have a correspondence; persons and their
actions,
in
the Word, represent; and the actual words of the Scripture which are the
symbols for things, persons and actions, signify. (See AC 3225, 2988.)

Erik Sandstrom, Sr.

Some Summary Ideas about Correspondence

1. Correspondences "come down," rather than "rise up." The
lower is derived from the higher, not the other way around.

E.g., The natural, or literal, sense of the Word is formed from the
spiritual, or internal, sense, not the spiritual from the natural. When
we explain the natural sense according to correspondences, we are simply
unfolding what was already in the living spiritual sense and is constantly
there.

27

2. Correspondence, influx, and discrete degrees are
virtually synonymous terms. There can be no influx without corresponding
levels, and these levels, or degrees, are discrete. Again: Whenever discrete
degrees are in correspondence, there is at once influx. "Influx is effected
by correspondences" (DLW 219).

E.g., Thought and speech correspond (if the person is sincere); thought
and speech are on discrete levels; and thought flows into speech, not speech
into thought.

3. It follows that true correspondences are dynamic, not static -- not
like a graph. There is at once influx, from one discrete degree into another,
when these degrees are in correspondence. This law keeps the natural world
alive from the spiritual.

E.g., When the external mind (which speaks and acts) is brought into
order by repentance and self-compulsion, then it comes into a state of
correspondence with the internal mind (where conscience is); and since
there is now correspondence, therefore conscience flows into the external
mind and fills it with its essence, so that the external as to quality
is like the internal. "Blessed is the man who is in correspondence, that
is, whose external man corresponds to his internal man" (AC 2994).

4. There is synonymity between the three terms when there is a state
of order, not when there is disorder. When there is disorder, there can
be representation, but not correspondence.

E.g., If an insincere person speaks, then what he says may represent
good affections and true concepts, but there is no correspondence with
his actual affections and thoughts. Nor is there a straight influx, for
the actual affections and thoughts wish to remain in hiding and therefore
appoint substitutes to act for them. "These people draw near to Me with
their mouth, and honor Me with their lips; but their heart is far from
Me" (Matt. 15:8, Is. 29:13).

28

Erik E. Sandstrom

Arcana Caelestia 5131 [21]:

To enable end, cause and effect to follow one another and act as one,
the effect must correspond to the cause, and the cause must correspond
to the end. Nevertheless the end does not manifest itself as the cause,
nor does the cause manifest itself as the effect. Rather to enable the
cause to exist the end must act on the level where the cause belongs, calling
on assistant means to help it -the end- to bring the cause into existence;
and to enable the effect to exist the cause likewise must act on the level
where the effect belongs, by calling on assistant means to help it -the
cause- to bring the effect into existence. These assistant means are the
ones that correspond; and because they correspond, the end can exist within
the cause and bring the cause into operation, and the cause can exist within
the effect and bring the effect into operation.

29

UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES -- DOCTRINAL QUOTATIONS

Stephen D. Cole.

This list of Universal Principles as expressed in
selected doctrinal quotations was the outcome of Session II of the Summer
Seminar, chaired by Stephen Cole. In the search for principles/laws/guidelines
to use in integrating correspondences into the curriculum, this list was
put together to indicate what should be included in a structural study
of correspondences throughout the levels of New Church education. The work
of translating the quotations into such a structure awaits further consideration
-- a challenge for the next round!

The Human Form

AC 9555: "Everything in nature has relation to the human form
and has its signification therefrom."

God as Man

AC 1894: "The Lord is the Only Man, and those only are men
who receive the Divine from Him."

HH 101: "Unless the Divine Human flowed into all things of heaven, and,
according to correspondences, into all things of the world, no angel or
man would exist."

Love and Wisdom

CL 84: "Good and Truth are the universals of creation and thence
are in all created things."

Grand Man

AC 4219: "Heaven is called the Grand Man because it corresponds
to the Lord's Divine Human."

AC 5377:2: "Not only all the individual parts of the human being correspond
to the Grand Man, but also every single thing in the universe."

Marriage

DP 9: "In the universe, and in each and all things in it as
created by the Lord, there has been the marriage of good and truth."

CL 65: "Conjugial Love is the fundamental of all loves because its origin
is from the marriage of good and truth, and from this marriage proceed
all the loves that make heaven and the church with man."

Regeneration

TCR 687e: "The whole world from what is first to what is last
in it is full of representations and types of regeneration."

Degrees

DLW 184: "The knowledge of degrees is like a key for opening
the cause of things."

31

End, Cause, and Effect

DLW 154: "In every created thing there are end, cause, and
effect."

The Two Worlds

TCR 75: There are two worlds between which there is a correspondence.

Series

TCR 351: "In all nature there is nothing that is not formed
into series of little bundles. ... The universal cause is, that such is
the confirmation of Divine truths; for we read that all things were created
by the Word."

Correspondence

Div. Wis. II 4: "It is a universal law of correspondence that
the spiritual fits itself to use."

Influx

DLW 88e: "Influx is effected by correspondence."

TCR 814: "Influx is according to efflux."

DLW 340: "There is a continual influx from the spiritual world into
the natural world."

Forms

DLW 409: "In all forms of uses there is some image of the Infinite
and Eternal."

DLW 46e: "Forms are containants of uses."

CL 186: "Nothing exists except in a form, and state induces that form."

Ultimates

AC 9836:3: "In ultimates there is power...Successive things
at last form in ultimates what is simultaneous, in which these successive
things are in a like order side by side."

Representation

AC 1807:2: 'There is nothing beautiful and delightful in the
heavens or on the earth, which is not in some way representative of the
Lord's kingdom."

Order

TCR 75: "There is an order to the creation of everything in
each world."

DP 24: "In every matter, from the greatest to the least of
it there must be variety; and when there is variety also in its opposite
from its least to its greatest, and there is equilibrium between them,
then there is a relation according to degrees on both sides."

32

GOALS -- SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Frederick L. Schnarr

GOALS

1. To provide students with a greater ability to confirm the
heavenly doctrines in the Scriptures.

2. To provide students with an ability to understand, be familiar with,
and apply the relationship of uses between spiritual and natural things
- and to enjoy this delightful adventure.

3. To bring back the honored and legitimate place of mythology and symbolism
through the achievement of goals one and two.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To provide students with an intimate and working knowledge
of key correspondential forms used in the Word.

2. To integrate the key correspondential forms and their uses into all
areas of curriculum, beginning with the religion curriculum, but especially
including science, literature, mythology and history.

The following examples of Correspondential Wheels
is a first effort to use correspondences and representations to describe
a spiritual form.

All the forms in each circle have been chosen from
the Word as describing some special aspect of a spiritual love or form.
This does not appear as so from looking at the forms themselves in nature.
The laws of correspondences, however, when describing the celestial man,
for example, show an intimate relationship between a lamb, a mountain top,
the human heart, the sun, etc. These natural forms are pictorial and can
easily be studied and imagined by the mind at almost any age from childhood
through old age.

But what is wonderful is that each of these forms,
although related, describes clearly some different aspect of the spiritual
form or love. So the lamb immediately suggests the innocence and gentleness
of celestial love. The mountain top suggests wisdom, clarity, and enlightenment
of this love - and perhaps also its great power. The human heart suggests
that this love is the
35

force that sends life and nourishment to all lesser loves and affections.
The sun portrays the internal warmth, the light, the creativity and beauty
of this love. And so on with each related form. Each adds a spectrum of
use and definition to the whole, that when brought together surely gives
the mind a means to describe and envision the spiritual form.

If we put the wheels one under the other in a descending
series, we will find that the varied parts of each single wheel also find
their counterpart in another wheel. The sun, moon, stars, and comets then
form an obvious relationship to each other. Or another example would be
the olive tree, the palm tree, the fig and the bramble. Always there is
a descent from the highest to the lowest, and because the relationship
is correspondential, the natural forms themselves have an internal relationship.

More natural forms could be added to the wheels,
as for example, colors and numbers.

This is merely a beginning. We are pursuing it because
we believe there is in this interrelationship of correspondential and representative
forms a way of giving children and young people a means of seeing something
of the beauty and power of the spirit in the Word.

If this turns out to be truly a way, then there lies
before us the task of selecting which natural forms are the most suitable
to each age level, and providing a means of inter-relating this material
into all parts of the curriculum.

It's a wonderful and exciting challenge.
36

37

38

BRINGING CORRESPONDENCES INTO THE CURRICULUM

Geoffrey S. Childs

How do we bring correspondences livingly and functionally
into the curriculum? If only we can do this, we will retain the content
quality of the course involved, but at the same time will give it a spiritual
component. I have seen this in human body courses, both at secondary and
elementary level. For example, correspondences are brought into the study
of digestion, illustrating the acceptance of newly arrived spirits into
the Grand Man of heaven. Seeing this dual aspect of course material and
its correspondence to truths of the spirit has a powerful effect on the
students involved; it marries functional faith to a science, and moves
them strongly.

One thing is clear: such integration of correspondences
into course material is an art form -- an artistic challenge. For correspondences
cannot be inserted as a cold scientific process, in a way that is unalive
or non-functional. Spiritual and natural operations correspond functionally
and beautifully. And both of these aspects need to be conveyed: beauty,
and function.

The Writings themselves give examples of correspondences
in application, and they do this with almost a feeling of poetry. In the
last section of
The Divine Love and Wisdom, it is said that "from
the correspondence of the heart with the will and of the lungs with the
understanding, everything may be known that can be known about the will
and understanding, or about love and wisdom, therefore about the soul of
man" (394). The whole last section of DLW continues to pursue the correspondence
of the heart and lungs, with many doctrinal points illustrated and explained
through these correspondences. Another general illustration of correspondence
in nature is the beautiful teaching in the trinal Word about trees, and
about how their life cycles correspond to the regeneration of a human being.
"The person who is being reborn begins like a tree from a seed, and also
like a tree he produces leaves, then blossoms, and finally fruit; for he
produces such things as are of intelligence, which in the Word are signified
by 'leaves,' then such things as are of wisdom, which are signified by
'blossoms,' and finally such things as are of life, that is the good of
love and charity in act, which in the Word are signified by 'fruits.' Such
is the representative likeness between the fruit-bearing tree and the person
who is being regenerated, insomuch, that if anything is known about spiritual
good and truth, the nature of regeneration may be learned from a tree"
(AC 5115:2).

This reminds me of the poetry of the first Psalm:
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands
in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight
is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He
shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water, that brings forth its
fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he
does shall prosper" (vs.l -3). Such correspondential poetry brings to life
the promise of AC 1807: 'There is nothing beautiful and delightful in the
skies or on the earth, which is not in some way representative of the Lord's
kingdom."

How do you take course material and see the spiritual
laws and correspondences involved? There are keys given in the book by
W. F. Pendleton, The Science of Exposition. This treats of the laws
revealed in the Writings concerning the discovery of the spiritual sense
of texts in the Old and New Testaments. Many of the keys given apply to
curicular subject matter as well. One key is to look to the end or purpose
of the subject under study. What is the inmost quality or use within the
text or subject? In the study of the sense of the letter of the Word, it
is the affection
39

portrayed that is the key. Celestial angels look to the inmost love
or affection in the sense of the letter. In a curricular subject under
study, it is the inmost use, or purpose that would be the key. And there
must be a sense of artistry, a perception, to see this key.

An example of such a search for correspondences is
seen in the study of photosynthesis by Dr. Erland Brock. He writes: "Photosynthesis
describes for us the conjunction of the elements hydrogen and oxygen from
water obtained from the earth, with carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The conjunction is made possible by solar energy, with chlorophyll serving
as the means, through the provision of energetic electrons. And the product
of this is food that permits the growth of the tree. By correspondential
analogy, the input of solar radiation is clearly the influx of spiritual
heat and light that proceeds as one from the spiritual Sun. ... The catalytic
chlorophyll is, we suggest, the affection of truth, spoken of in the Writings
... With this love (of truth) from the Lord present with men, sense impressions
from the natural world (water from the soil with trees) can be conjoined
with influx from the spiritual world (carbon dioxide drawn from the atmosphere)
to bring about the creation of knowledge (carbohydrate produced in photosynthesis),
this serving as the raw material out of which the mind grows, as a tree
does from the products of photosynthesis. And herein lies the basis of
our humanity -- in the creation of knowledge and of the human mind thereby"
(The
New Philosophy, January/March 1986).

What is needed to see correspondence functioning
in course subject matter? First, the genuine doctrine revealed in the Writings
-- the doctrine that governs the subject matter. Next there must be an
accurate and clear description and understanding of the subject matter
itself. The question then follows: what is the correspondence of each element
in the subject matter involved? In the growth of a tree, such correspondences
are revealed in the Writings. The correspondences of leaves, blossoms,
and fruit are known. Knowing these correspondences, the relationship of
regeneration and cycles of a fruit tree can be clearly, beautifully seen.
But only if we know the general doctrine of rebirth, and the general knowledge
of a fruit tree's cycle. There is one more vital element: enlightenment
from the Lord, for which we pray.

Sometimes we may think that if only we know the correspondences
involved, then any natural subject matter can be turned by us into clear
doctrinal lessons and illustrations. And this is true if the other three
essential elements are also present: the doctrine within that applies,
the
facts of the subject under study, and enlightenment. With
this four part harmony, the whole world of nature can gradually become
correspondentially alive! Many correspondences are already revealed in
the Writings, and this is the key in such cases. In myriads of other cases,
such correspondences are not revealed. But we do know that there is nothing
in nature that is not representative (AC 1807). Where correspondences are
not revealed, what must be known is how the natural elements function together
in the subject understudy. What role does each element play? Then, how
do these work together in a scientific and artistic way? These things can
be discovered by research and inductive study: how the elements work together,
and what role each plays in this functioning. Then we can deduce the correspondences
of each element. We need two other components: the frame-work of doctrines
that applies to the subject under study, and we need enlightenment from
the Lord.

I hope this doesn't sound too complicated, because
it is worth the effort. Correspondences can transform a subject, bathing
it in interior light. This can move students deeply. With Divine guidance
already present in the Writings, this can be done with anatomy, with the
interrelationship of the heart and lungs, with the life cycle of trees,
with minerals, etc. And I believe
40

the Lord then bids us to go farther: to employ the science of sciences
to gradually discover Him throughout creation, in ways that are artistically
and scientifically fulfilling.

In early elementary school, this pathway of living
correspondences is fairly evident and imagination-stirring. The sun, stars
and moon; horses, lambs, lions and birds; minerals, jewels and metals;
flowers, trees, and fruit -- so many things a child can see or grasp, and
that can touch his imagination. Artistic and simple correspondential explanations
of these symbols can have powerful meaning. Rocks, water, bread -- each
of these can be living symbols to a child. Likewise the stories of the
Word have so many correspondences filled with wonder and vivid representations.
Children can live in a garden of Divine symbols.

In the secondary schools this can be reinforced and
built upon. The generals of the doctrines all have their ultimates in corresponding
symbols in the Word and nature. The study of the spiritual world in the
sophomore year is replete with the correspondences and representations
that rule in heaven, the world of spirits, and hell. Divine Providence
has its symbols in the Word and nature, as does the book
Conjugial Love.
And
also in high school, correspondences can be introduced into the science
and arts as well, as they have already been into the human body courses.
The arts are ground awaiting the use of symbols that stir and uplift the
imagination. Some of Andrew Wyeth's paintings convey this.

In college, correspondences can begin to be introduced
as a science. Its functional insertion into such sciences as physics and
chemistry and biology is a good challenge. And in later college, surely
the time is coming for a complete course in correspondences, representations,
and significatives. The course formerly taught by Dr. Hugo Odhner called
The
Human Organic
was the precursor to such a course. And a vast bibliography,
a host of topics, await the teacher of this subject.

Education is a lifelong process. In fact, it continues
to eternity. Adults have the guidelines and doctrines revealed in the Writings
for further exploration and use of correspondences and representations.
The great background is the overall setting, the cosmology of creation.
Bishop W. F. Pendleton spoke of certain universal principles revealed in
the Writings that are "the origin of all the sciences and all the arts
which we now possess ... (and which) must take their place in the higher
education of the New Church as the head, the beginning, and origin of all
the sciences." He lists these six
philosophic doctrines (universal
as principles) "correspondences, representation, influx, degrees, the spiritual
world, and God as Man" (address entitled "The Future of the Academy," New
Church Life,
1901, pp. 67-74).

With these universal principles in mind, the adult
explorer would then need a framework of doctrinal teachings that applies
to and governs the subject under study. Prof. Bruce Glenn defines this
as the "developing of related doctrines so as to form a framework of principles
within which to order and interpret the knowledges of a subject" ("Distinctiveness
in Action," address to the Academy Faculty, Nov. 4,1979 -- Academy Journal,
Literary
Number 1972-73, pp. 5-12). The book entitled The Academy: A Portrait
illustrates
such frameworks in particular subject areas: history, for example.

In the famous number from The Spiritual Diary
on
the two foundations of truth, the strong correlation of spiritual laws
and natural laws is shown. And this too is a vital principle in seeking
correspondential relationships. "The foundations of truth ... are two,
one from the Word, the
41

other from nature or from the truths of nature. ... These two foundations
of truth agree the one with the other, which is proved by a contemplation
of certain things in the Word. Since sciences have shut up the understanding,
therefore sciences may also open it; and it is opened so far as people
are in good. ... All things of heaven have their foundation in the laws
of order of nature in the world, and in man, so that the foundation is
permanently fixed" (SD 5709). Laws then that govern specific sciences,
arts, social sciences, psychology, philosophy, languages, etc., have their
origin in spiritual laws that correspond and are directive.

The challenge to the adult researcher or the college
student is to have those six philosophic principles suggested by Bishop
W.F.Pendleton clearly in mind, and then research and discover the framework
of applied doctrinal principles that govern the specific subject field.
With these as basic tools, the next search is to find the spiritual laws
that are causative to the natural laws in the subject field. As an example
of this, there are spiritual or Divine laws that govern history, and these
are outlined in general in
The Academy: A Portrait.

Still missing in this effort to bring correspondences
livingly into play are three remaining elements: a clear knowledge of the
natural
relationships and functioning of the elements in the subject under
study, enlightenment, and the direct correspondences of each
element. If the correspondences are revealed in the Writings, then the
pathway is open. If correspondences are not revealed, there will be the
need to deduce these from the functioning roles of each element in the
subject being studied. This means there will be some enlightened guessing,
and a lack of sureness. But such investigation is legitimate and very useful,
if there is humility, and allegiance to the revealed framework of doctrines.

The key element in any search to apply correspondences
to the curriculum is enlightenment. And this is a gift from the Lord alone,
to that person who is, first of all, shunning evils as sins, and looking
to the Lord as one's Father. A second essential is to let the doctrines
lead, not personal mental agendas. The cautioning is given by the Lord
in reference to finding the spiritual sense of the Word; but this applies
as well to the search for the inner symbolism of curricular course material.
"Falsely thinks he who says to himself: 'I know many correspondences; I
am able to know all the Doctrine of Divine truth; the spiritual sense will
teach it.' This cannot be done in this way; but, as was said, it can be
done if a person says to himself: 'I know the Doctrine of Divine truth;
now I am able to see the spiritual sense if only I know correspondences.'
But even then he must ... be in illustration from the Lord"
(De Verbo
58).
In a subject matter search for correspondential meanings, it isn't directly
a spiritual sense that is sought, it is rather the corresponding spiritual
laws. But the De Verbo 58 rules still govern this search.

What a wonderful search and discoveries lie before
us! As we work to find the genuine correspondences in curricular courses,
we endeavor to bring the Lord's presence into our classrooms. We endeavor
to bring the glory to the clouds. At the same time we are true to the subject
matter being studied. The goal is to see that the Lord God Jesus Christ
reigns throughout His creation. And this not only in universals, but in
the wonderful particulars of correspondences.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all
the earth, You who set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of
babes and infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies,
that You may silence the enemy and the avenger. When I consider Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You
42

have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son
of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the
angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him
to have to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all
things under his feet, all sheep and oxen -- even the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, that pass through the paths
of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!
(Psalm 8).
43

CORRESPONDENCES: A PERSONAL VIEW

Erland J. Brock

Introduction

The central idea of the doctrine of correspondences
-- that the natural plane of existence is a clothing for the spiritual
-- has an ancient lineage. In the context of New Church thought we date
its roots to the Most Ancient Church. To others, the concept appears in
various religious and secular contexts. But common to them all is that
the idea has been with men since ancient times.

Ideas that have no consequences in life soon lose
their viability. Such could be the fate of correspondences in the New Church
unless we actively seek applications in various aspects of our lives. It
is with this in mind that we offer the following thoughts that have grown
out of a lifetime of wondering about the subject, some focussed study of
it (see accompanying bibliography), and stimulating exchanges in the summer
1991 Correspondence Seminar.

Correspondence as a vital link in all aspects of existence

This doctrine is central to a New Church philosophy
of being, for it is by correspondence that the causal relationships exist
between God and His creation, and between the finite spiritual and natural
worlds. The following thoughts represent my sense of the functional significance
of correspondences.

1.
The constant operation of the laws of correspondence is what sustains
the physical universe and every part of it. They are as all-pervading in
space and time as are the forces of nature; indeed it is through the operation
of these laws that these forces (gravitational, electromagnetic, and nuclear)
play the roles that they do in sustaining the universe. Thus correspondence
is not a speculative idea that merely entertains the thought of philosophical
types from time to time, but is a constant necessity for the continuity
of all planes of existence.

2.
Our human qualities are made up of the thoughts and affections we have
made our own in the course of living. These, the Word teaches, have their
origin in the spiritual world, and they take on the forms they do through
correspondence with their spiritual counterparts. So all our conscious
and unconscious mental activity operates by laws of correspondence -- there
is no escaping this; the constant ebb and flow of every moment of our being
is governed by correspondence.

Communication provides wonderful illustration of this, as the Lord notes
in the Word. In body language, for example, such as a smile or friendly
wave, we perceive the meaning of the physical act by the operation of correspondence.
Extending this thought to communication in general, is not the key to good
communication the ability to fashion natural things to best serve as bases
or media for the expression of spiritual entities -- thoughts and affections?

The consequences of this thought alone are multifarious. No part of
life is untouched by it, be it in the family, the work place, in education,
in various kinds of ministry, and so on; the
45

list is endless. This being the case, does it not imply that communication
will be improved as laws governing correspondences are better understood?
To the best of my knowledge, these laws have not been explored beyond their
application in Biblical exegesis. Herein lies a challenge.

3.
Turning to fields of application already developed, we note that the
concept of correspondence has had widest application in exposition of the
internal sense of the letter of the Old and New Testament Word. Much of
the Writings are, of course, devoted to this, and beyond them there are
many volumes of exposition written for the New Church.

Perhaps the next most developed application is in consideration of the
Holy Land, as in
Correspondences of Canaan by C.T. Odhner (1911;
see bibliography for other titles). Interest in this field of enquiry persists
to this day.

Another arena of application is that of the human body. In this we have
an extension of the kind of thought that is employed in the Writings, where
bodily
function and structure are used as a basis for the elucidation of higher
ideas. Studies along these lines also persist to the present.

In thinking about the application of the doctrine, the central idea
to keep in mind is that it is the
function of some physical entity
that corresponds to something on a higher plane. Seeking correspondence
in the form only leads nowhere -- an idea that the Lord makes clear
in the Writings.

This, I believe, is central to efforts to extend our appreciation of
the natural world, as in science education, for example. Science instruction
that is devoted solely to a consideration of how the world works
from a material standpoint falls short of the mark. There is more
to everything than meets the eye, and it is up to New Churchmen to increase
our appreciation of this with increasingly deep penetration, not for the
satisfaction of intellectual curiosity, but for the betterment of human
existence both in the here-and-now, and to eternity.

Extending this thought of application into all aspects of education,
the principle that correspondences can be seen through function has universal
application. The leading question beyond appreciation of the phenomena
on the natural plane is "to what does this answer in the human mind?" The
"what" here is the spiritual correspondent being sought. It is my belief
that this applies to all elements in the curriculum.

My final thought is that progress can only be made by application
of
the doctrine; we have had enough of talking and writing about it (as valuable
and necessary as that has been), and must put our hand to the plough.

46

BIBLIOGRAPHY, REFERENCE BOOKS, RESOURCE PEOPLE

Erland J. Brock

Bibliography prepared in conjunction with a review study of the Doctrine
of Correspondences by Erland J. Brock, summer 1991. This is by no means
complete. It is drawn largely from The New Philosophy and
New
Church Life, and includes no references before 1883. It is taken to
be fairly representative of thought on the subject. However, I look forward
to the compilation of a far more extensive bibliography, to include articles
and works that date back into the eighteenth century.

Tilson, R. J. "The Sacraments: Their Use and Power," New
Church Life 49 (Jan. 1929): 19-34.

48

Resource People

The bibliography complied by Dr. Erland Brock includes
a number of outstanding studies involving correspondences. Among these,
for example, are: The Divine Allegory, by Dr. Hugo Odhner, The
Correspondences of Canaan,
by C. Th. Odhner, and many others.

We asked the Correspondences Committee to send in
further references that members considered outstanding, either in a scholarly
sense, or for ready applicability.

The Language of Parable, by William Worcester (available in paperback)
The
Study of Nature, by Jennie Gaskill (Swedenborg Library) Lessons
in Anatomy,
Evelyn Plummer (Swedenborg Library) Art in Education,
by
Beth Johns (General Church Education Center)

The Science of Exposition, by W. F. Pendleton, 1915, The Academy
of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

Anthroposophy and Correspondences

Though the anthroposophists neither use the word
"correspondences" nor offer lectures on correspondences as an abstract
concept, for over 70 years they have been consciously applying
correspondences
in various fields with great success. If you are interested in studying
how correspondences are being used, here are some references:

Those who have participated in the Committee work
and in the Summer Seminar are generally agreeable to be consulted as resource
people for teachers or students who wish to inquire further about doctrinal
studies or applications. The contents of this booklet will give the inquirer
indications about whom to consult in specific areas of interest.
50

AN INVITATION:

The General Faculty meeting on April 23, 1992, heard
presentations by Andrew Heilman and Jonathan Rose on matters related to
correspondence; and Stephen Cole will be giving a course on correspondence
at "A Canadian Adventure in Learning" in August, 1992. These events are
the culmination of the Committee's activities. The exact direction of the
Committee in the coming year has not been determined as yet, although various
activities and studies are in prospect.

This booklet is only a beginning: a platform. It
speaks of the philosophy of correspondences, definitions, application tools,
and has some beginning applications and guidelines. The heartfelt wish
of the Committee is that teachers and students will go on from here, and
make their own classroom and curricular applications. Correspondences are
a key to creation, to the Word, and to distinctive New Church education.
But we are only in the infancy of making this knowledge, this "science,"
what it can be in our schools. A bit of a miracle awaits us!